Bowling-alley.



J. G. WALLACE.

BOWLING ALLEY.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 1, 1910. 1,019,104,. Patented Mar. 5, 1912 V v 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

d T 0 I A l I u I 55:

APPLICATION F-ILED AUG. 1, 1910. 1019,104

J. G. WALLACE.

BOWLING ALLEY.

Patented Mar. 5, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

COLUMBIA PLANOflRAPI-l (10., WASHINGTON, D. c.

JAMES C. WALLACE, *OF GUELPH, ONTARIO, CANADA.

BOWLING-ALLEY.

Specification ofLetters Patent.

Patented Mar. 5, 1912.

Application filed August 1, 1910. Serial No. 574,919.

To all whom it mayconcern:

Be it known that I, JAMES C. VVALLAOE, a subject of His Majesty King George V of Great Britain, residing at the city of Guelph, in the county of Wellington, in the Province of Ontario, Dominion of Canada, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bowling-Alleys, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in bowling alleys which consist in hinging the pins at the top, holding them in position by means of a suitable spring, together with means for setting them from the other end of the alley and means for automatically returning the balls to the player after each shot or play. I attain these objects by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure I is a side View of my new or improved bowling alley. Fig. II is a plan or top view of the same. tudinal sectional view of the head of my new or improved bowling alley showing the mechanism for setting and holding the pins in position and the course of the balls. Fig. IV is an end view of the same showing the inclined bottom of the ball chamber or receptacle by means of which the spent balls are returned to the runway and down which they roll to the other end of the alley. Fig. V is a front view of the pins held in a vertical position by means of springs. Fig. VI is a rear view of the same showing the crank rod re-setting the pins. Fig. VII is a detail view showing the crank rod in its nor mal position the pin having been set thereby and in dotted lines the position occupied by said pin when thrown forward out of operation. Fig. VIII is a detail View show ing one end of the board from which the pins are suspended, sliding in a slot or groove 8, in the side wall of the alley.

Similar letters of reference indicate similar parts throughout the several drawings.

The pins A are hinged at the top between pairs of brackets a a to the under side of the bridge B passing from side to side of the alley and which carries the pins A suspended in position clear of the floor of the alley. The top ends of the pins A are square and are hinged to the lower ends of the brackets a a so as to allow the free end of the spring 0 to rest upon them between the brackets and thus hold them in position either vertical and ready for play, thrown Fig. III is a longiforward out of action as shown in dotted lines in Fig. VII, or when driven back by the ball as shown in dotted lines in Fig. III. The other end of the spring C is secured to the under side of the bridge or pin board B as shown in Figs. III andVII. A crank rod D swinging from bearings d is attached to the under side of the bridge or pin board B and runs from side to side of the alley immediately behind the pins A; it is operated by means of a cord or wire d attached to the free end of the lever rod cl. This cord or wire passes down the side of the alley and is attached to a hand lever H. at the other end of the alley and by means of which it is operated, see Fig. I. A coil spring E Fig. I. retracts the crank arm or lever (5 when not in operation thus rendering the crank rod D inoperative until required to re-set the pins A.

The head of the alley is composed of a closed pocket or receptacle F, into which the balls G are led by means of the inclined runway f as shown in Fig. III. The receptacle is preferably of a circular or cylindrical form so as to allow the balls to spin around therein until they have lost all their momentum. The bottom of the receptacle F is inclined to one side as shown in Fig. IV and an opening f in the side of the receptacle F adjacent to the lowest part of the inclined bottom of the same allows the balls G to pass through-the side of the receptacle F onto the runway R whichreturns-them to the player at the other end of the alley.

As will readily be seen the pins having been set are driven back out of position by the balls which then mount the curved incline thereby losing considerable of their momentum, and enter the cylindrical receptacle F in which they revolve until they come to rest on the inclined bottom of the same, down which they then roll through the side of the receptacle and onto the runway which returns them to the player. When the balls are all thrown the pins are returned into position by means of the hand lever and crank rod and another round is started. Should it be desired to use a less number of pins, those not intended to be used can be thrown forward by hand and will then remain out of operation as long as desired, not being affected by the crank rod D. The pins are designated by numbers which are placed immediately above the pins on the number board N as shown in Fig. V

and which numbers are used in composing the score. The ends of the bridge or pin board B slide in slots or grooves in the side walls of the head of the alley; thus the bridge or pin board B together with the springs, brackets, suspended pins, and crank rod depending therefrom may be removed en bloc for repairs or adjustment.

I claim: 1. In a bowling alley the combination with an-alley bed provided with a curved incline at the rear end thereof, of a frame provided with grooves, a board whose opposite ends fit into said grooves, pins pivotally sus: pended from said board springs bearing on the upper end of said pins and adapted to hold them in either a horizontal or vertical position substantially as set forth.

springs adapted to hold the pins in either a vertical or horizontal position, of a crank rod pivotally supported to the rear of said pins, a spring adapted to hold said crank rod out of contact with the pins and means adapted to move the crank rod against the pins to change them from horizontal to verticalposition substantially as set forth.

3. In a bowling alley the combination with an alley bed of a curved incline at the rear thereof, a receptacle at the rear of said incline an opening in the bottom of said receptacle and a declining runway leading from said opening to the front of the alley g and above the alley bed, substantially as set forth. Guelph, Ontario, July 26th, 19 10.

J. c. WALLACE.

Signed in resence of O. M. ALLACE, F. O. SANN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D, 0. 

